What did Hamilton contribute and how was this significant? How does he compare to other founding fathers?.
Contributions: .
Advocated for the establishment of a national bank.
Served as Washington's principal aide during the Revolutionary War.
Wrote two-thirds of The Federalist Papers in support of the U.S. Constitution.
Wrote Washington's Farewell Address.
Utilized ambiguity of the Constitution's "necessary and proper " clause to legitimize control of the federal government and weaken the power of the states.
Pioneered the idea of "implied powers " in American government.
Used national debt to assert federal power by assuming responsibility of state debts; "If it is not excessive, [the national debt] will be to us a national blessing." Alexander Hamilton.
The Hamiltonian Philosophy: Emphasis on free market capitalism; government should provide the tools for people to compete in it.
-Markets need to provide for human capital.
First Secretary of the Treasury.
Assisted in founding the U.S. mint.
Hamilton envisioned the nation we have become: a centralized capitalist society with civil liberties in the hands of the federal government. (check).
Adamant supporter of abolitionism, which led him to assist in the creation of Manumission societies.
Overall Significance:.
Hamilton's economic system remains largely unaltered even today, and has given birth to American manufacturing and industrialism rather than the agrarian landholding vision shared by Jefferson and Madison.
He was the founder of one of America's first two political parties, the Federalists.
Eyewitness to many historical events during and after the Revolutionary War.
Battle of Trenton (1776).
Treachery and escape of Benedict Arnold. (1780).
Headed a light infantry battalion in the Battle of Yorktown. (1781).
Jay's Treaty (1794-96).
His success defines the American dream of civil mobility; rising from poverty and obscurity to recognition as one of the most prominent figures in American politics through his motivation and intellect.